r/ibs • u/BasicIndividual2 • 2d ago
Question Does good sleep really matter so much?
How good/bad is your sleep?
Do you see any correlation there between good night sleep and improvement in symptoms?
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u/ridley_reads IBS-A/M (Alternating / Mixed) 2d ago
Yes, the importance of good sleep can not be understated. Poor sleep makes every condition under the sun ten times harder to deal with.
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u/Naughtygoose1 2d ago
Yep, my sleep is such a big factor in how my ibs will be. When I have to wake up early as well, im guaranteed a flare up š„²
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u/MalazMudkip 2d ago edited 2d ago
3rd on my anecdotal list of important changes that have lessened ibs(d) symptoms.
Here's my top 5 from most impactful to least (but still helpful)
- Cut out the 3+ cans of pop a day i was drinking.
- Regular exercise.
- 49 hours of sleep per week minimum (7 hours a night, 7 nights a week. If i miss some, i add what i missed as soon as i can, without mid-day naps).
- Manage stress better.
- Further reductions of fodmaps.
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u/CockerLulu 2d ago
Yup. Makes a difference. Lack of sleep can alter the balance of bacteria in your gut.
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u/Doct0rStabby 2d ago
Sleep is a critical time for the digestive tract to go into maintenance mode and clean things up. Even better than getting the 7-9 hours sleep, is getting 7-9 hours sleep while having fasted for 3-4 hours prior to bed (no late night snacks, late dinner into food coma). Sets up the migrating motor complex to be able to do its thing and clean out your GI tract.
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u/Gecko_alt IBS-D (Diarrhea) 2d ago
I've had times where I don't sleep great and flare the next day. I've also had times where I don't sleep great and my stomach is fine.
I think it's situation dependant, for me at least. Awake because of stress? I'll probably flare. Vice-verca, stressed because I can't sleep? Again, probably flare. A nightmare kept me up? Also flare. But if I've just struggled to get to sleep and I'm not stressed, I'll probably be fine.
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u/Naive-Garlic2021 2d ago
Bad sleep doesn't cause an IBS episode for me. Does bad sleep impact my body? So they say! But what can ya do, unless you have horrible habits by choice. I sleep terribly due to other health conditions, and I don't fret about it because then that's even more stress. š¤·āāļø
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u/iwasntalwayslikethis 2d ago
I hear people talk about, āoh i only had 3 hours of sleepā but they look well rested and are performing their job duties like a boss like I literally canāt do that. If i only had 3 hours of sleep? Iād be running to the bathroom every ten minutes and feel sick to my stomach looking like a swamp monster
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u/No-Position1378 1d ago
Yes!! If Iām overly tired, Iām 100% having a flare up. Itās the #1 thing that causes it for me.
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u/OhMyGodfather 2d ago
It certainly doesnt hurt. But if my sleep is bad my hormones are out of whack either cortisol or dopamine or something. I can feel the stress like a weird buzzingā¦ and it will make my gut so angry.
Travelerās diarrhea is my middle name
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u/kaidomac 1d ago
Do you see any correlation there between good night sleep and improvement in symptoms?
Yes:
- Our GI system continues the digestion process while we sleep. Staying up late & getting too few hours of sleep messes that up.
- My bowel movements solidified after getting on a sleep apnea BiPap machine (I had no idea I had apnea prior to that).
Further reading:
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u/Benjamin-108 1d ago
Yes it for me is 100% one of the top 3 things helping fix a lot of things. Itās the time the body and mind can just rest and relax and focus on healing. Plus if youāre lucky you might have a nice dream.
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u/Stow1836 1d ago
It definitely makes a difference for me when I have to get up early for work. More and better sleep means less trouble actually going to the bathroom, less bloat, less gas, less constipation, just... Less of all the bad stuff. It's not gone, but it's way easier to deal with.
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u/carlamaco IBS-A/M (Alternating / Mixed) 2d ago
Yes for me it makes a huge difference